We want to provide a listening ear service to parents of children of additional needs, that is accessible from the point of identifing the childs additional need and beginning their diagnosis journey. Our core group is a mixture of experienced parent carers and non parent carers. Four of our volunteers of the listening ear service are fully trained in active listening skills and empathetic listening. During these sessions, accessible by phone or in person at our office and various other safe locations, we will provide a non-judgemental space to talk, sign posting, advice, and arrange follow up sessions to ensure we tackle isolation.

What we'll deliver:

• Provide Listening ear Service at least 3 times a week between 10am -2pm
• Provide sign posting and general advice.
• We will arrange follow up sessions with each one of our clients
• We will offer various accessible locations.

Why it's a great idea:

We hope that providing this service will give parents of existing and newly diagnosed children the confidence and advice they need to either begin or continue their journey. Providing them with a listening ear by like minded peers hoping to discourage the likely hood of getting to crisis point, detering a mental health crisis. We hope our project will provide parent carers of Sunderland with the direction and tools they need when entering or continuing in their SEND journey. We as a core group understand that we cannot know what everyone is going through in their particular circumstance, but we can be with them, supporting them as they go through it.

Steps to get it done:

• Booking multiple spaces for confidential one to one sessions

The listening ear service is just one of the many opportunities we want to offer parent carers. We want to ensure that unpaid carers begin to feel seen and heard. Addressing issues, supporting them, and moving tough conversations from behind closed doors of coffee mornings out into the open, finding solutions along the way.